Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

The University of Arizona invites inquiries, nominations, and applications for the position of Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost (SVPAA & Provost). Reporting directly to the President, the SVPAA & Provost will serve as the University’s chief academic officer and be instrumental in guiding the future of the University.

The SVPAA & Provost will serve as the academic and scholarly leader for the University, with responsibility over all academic programs, operations, and initiatives. The SVPAA & Provost will have the primary oversight for all the University’s academic operations, including faculty promotion and tenure, administrative structures of colleges and schools, and all aspects of student affairs.

The SVPAA & Provost will also oversee the creation and implementation of programs in consonance with the University’s strategic plan. The SVPAA & Provost will guide the schools and colleges in light of the highly collaborative nature of the UA campus and to promote our shared values of excellence, access and interdisciplinarity. The SVPAA & Provost will also be responsible for appointment and evaluation of all direct reports. For further information about the SVPAA & Provost’s direct reports, please visit: https://provost.arizona.edu/people/reporting-units .

Under the President’s leadership, the University of Arizona has embarked on a process of reinvention, drawing from historic strengths in hand with innovative future thinking. The SVPAA & Provost will seek to further elevate the collaborative nature of the campus, enhance student performance, the standing of its scholarly programs in their respective communities, and the attainment of external support for these programs. In addition, the SVPAA & Provost will also work with the Senior Vice President for Business Affairs and Chief Financial Officer, the Senior Vice President for Health Sciences, and the Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation to develop a collaborative vision for the University’s academic and research enterprise.

For a full position description, please visit https://www.spaexec.com/pd/UASVPAAProvost.pdf .

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; state and optional retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

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The SVPAA & Provost will play a key leadership role in guiding the advancement of several strategic priorities that exemplify the University's mission of education, research, and service. The SVPAA & Provost will also engage with a wide range of community members across the University and serve as a champion and active participant in facilitating the success of faculty, staff, and students. With this in mind, the SVPAA & Provost will be well-positioned to address the following opportunities and challenges:

• Leading Through a Significant Period of Transition – The SVPAA & Provost will join UA at a crucial juncture in its history and must be prepared to lead the Office of the Provost in supporting the campus community as it navigates current and future challenges.
• Unifying, Supporting, and Guiding UA’s Community – The SVPAA & Provost will play a key role in unifying, guiding, and supporting the University community to fulfill UA’s land-grant mission in furtherance of growing and deepening its impact.
• Communication and Transparency – The SVPAA & Provost will be expected to foster a culture committed to effectively and proactively communicating with the wide range of internal and external constituents the University serves.
• Commitment to Shared Governance – The next SVPAA & Provost will lead a diverse and engaged faculty and staff from many academic disciplines and with a strong commitment to shared governance.
• Developing a Long-Term Plan for Financial Stability – As the national higher education landscape continues to evolve and become more competitive, the SVPAA & Provost will be charged with strategically managing resources and balancing competing priorities to support current and future academic programs and offerings. As chief academic officer, the SVPAA & Provost must work in close collaboration with stakeholders across the University, including the chief financial officer, deans, other senior administrators, faculty, staff, and students, to chart a course for the future that incorporates the prioritization of resources, measured risk-taking, and strategic investment in developing a long-term plan for UA’s future financial stability.
• Leading a Large and Diverse Organization – The SVPAA & Provost will oversee an organization comprising a broad and diverse range of academic and administrative units within the Office of the Provost. This will require the ability to lead, partner, delegate, and empower staff within the Division. The SVPAA & Provost will provide the leadership necessary to foster an environment that encourages innovation, values collegiality, promotes collaboration, and rewards success.
• Fostering a Dynamic and Collaborative Environment – The SVPAA & Provost will be charged with assessing UA’s goals for the future and supporting and enhancing the Office of the Provost’s leadership team to meet these needs while fostering an institutional culture built on trust, collaboration, accountability, and transparency.
• Supporting Student Learning and Success – In close partnership with UA’s senior leadership and campus community, the SVPAA & Provost will build upon the University’s foundational efforts toward ensuring student success and amplifying its commitment to providing an education that prepares a diverse student body, consisting of undergraduate, transfer, graduate, professional, first generation, and veteran students from the state of Arizona, across the nation, and around the world. The SVPAA & Provost will also strengthen efforts to recruit, retain, guide, and support students who study across disciplines, locations, and teaching modalities (in person, hybrid, and online).
• Supporting Student Development and Contemporary Trends – The next SVPAA & Provost in collaboration with faculty and key student affairs and student services colleagues should cultivate a campus climate, inside and outside the classroom, that is developmentally appropriate and supportive of and responsive to students’ changing needs.
• Supporting Research and Service for Impact – UA’s next SVPAA & Provost will assume a key leadership role at an institution committed to further accelerating excellence in its research efforts, creative activity, and community impact through fostering a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and ambition. The SVPAA & Provost must identify and implement strategies that guide UA’s journey toward further addressing the future of teaching, learning, and research and expand upon its existing strengths while creating new and ambitious opportunities to increase its service to the greater good.
• Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – UA’s SVPAA & Provost must be experienced, deeply committed to, and have a proven track record of promoting and addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in higher education. The SVPAA & Provost must embrace and be prepared to leverage UA’s status as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, Minority-Serving Institution, and multilingual institution in supporting members of underrepresented populations from all groups to achieve their personal and professional goals while creating the opportunity to further intellectual and emotional growth, community empowerment, and social justice.
• Working with a Dynamic Leadership Group – The new SVPAA & Provost must be a creative problem-solver who is genuinely enthusiastic about joining an environment that promotes forward-thinking, innovation, access, multilingualism, international impact, and interdisciplinary collaboration across the disciplines, including the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The Office of the Provost’s senior leadership team is a strong, dynamic, and collaborative group of administrators deeply dedicated to supporting UA’s myriad stakeholders in a highly collaborative, research-intensive university environment. The SVPAA & Provost will lead this group of skilled administrative leaders seeking to break through silos and embrace collaboration, wisely allocate resources, and identify new opportunities for success.
• Promoting the University’s Role in Arizona – As one of UA’s most ardent champions, the SVPAA & Provost will bring to the position a resonance with and understanding of its land-grant mission; regional, national, and international impact; and a deep commitment to advancing endeavors in teaching, research, access, and service.

• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• UA seeks a SVPAA & Provost with exemplary academic achievements, together with strategic leadership ability, outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, and commitment to support the mission of the University.
• Strong interpersonal skills that will form strong ties to the alumni; donors; Board of Regents; and local, national, and international communities to advance the University’s commitment to academic excellence.
• Demonstrated commitment to advancing inclusive excellence across all levels of the institution.
• Deep commitment to shared governance.
• Ability to recruit, develop, and retain world-class scholars.
• An appreciation of the education, research, and service mission of a major research university.
• The capacity to lead the academic enterprise through cultural change.
• Ability to work with local governments and community partners to identify specific broad community needs and provide programming to meet those needs.
• Intellectual curiosity about and sensitivity to a wide range of academic disciplines, interests, and constituencies represented at UA and a deep commitment to diversity as part of its public mission.
• Ability to communicate effectively and persuasively, as well as strong collaborative skills.
• Ability to engage with industrial and governmental partners to create opportunities for faculty, students, and staff.
• Passion and creativity, along with the commitment, ability, and temperament needed to serve in the high-profile and critical leadership role of guiding the University’s academic mission and strategic resource allocation.
• Demonstrated commitment to international students and scholars, research/study abroad, and to advancing internationalization.
• Deep commitment to and proven track record for fostering an academic environment that values, promotes, and champions inclusive excellence, multilingualism, access (including language access), and appreciates the diverse array of scholarship of a major research university with a large and vibrant health sciences and health care effort.
• Strong ethical values and integrity.

• A strong academic record that merits appointment at the rank of full professor with tenure within one of the colleges or schools at the University of Arizona.
• A strong record of strategic leadership in academic planning and development.
• Substantial administrative leadership experience at a research university (i.e., school director, academic dean, Vice President for Research, etc.).
• Demonstrated experience and excellence in teaching.
• A record of achievement in growing and working effectively with a diverse academic community.
• Proven success in strategic planning, budgeting, and resource management.
• A demonstrated commitment and experience promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion across all aspects of the University.

Email: [email protected]

Refer to code “UA-SVPAAProvost” in the subject line

SP&A Executive Search web page: https://www.spaexec.com/active-searches.html .

SP&A Executive Search

Alberto Pimentel, Managing Partner

Will Gates, Partner

Matthew Herrera, Senior Associate

Email: [email protected]

Refer to code “UA-SVPAAProvost” in the subject line